From 49m agoBurnham calls on Fifa president to resign over World Cup sell-off plansJosh Halliday“My view is strengthening – this was an outrageous suggestion. The idea that it could even be brought forward, in my view, shows that the Fifa general secretary is the wrong man to lead the organisation.”When told the Fifa president was sticking to its plans despite a furious backlash from Uefa and other membership bodies, Burnham said: “Oh wow. Have they actually done that? Oh wow.”Andy Burnham speaks during a visit to a family centre in Sheffield on 31 July 2026. Photograph: Annabel Lee-Ellis/WPA Pool/Getty ImagesKey events49m agoBurnham calls on Fifa president to resign over World Cup sell-off plans1h agoMayors given fast-track route to build new trams and transport links, transport secretary says2h agoChinese super embassy planning permission decision upheld at High Court3h agoBP puts North Sea oil and gas business up for sale3h agoHarriet Harman suggests men should be banned from running for the next Labour leader4h agoDiane Abbott and Joani Reid readmitted as Labour MPs4h agoTax rebates 'not possible at the moment' under devolution reforms, minister says4h agoAndy Burnham to set out devolution plan amid criticism it won't benefit regions equallyZoe WoodThe price of petrol has hit a new Iran War high at UK forecourts, adding to the financial pressure on millions of households about to embark on their annual holiday.The RAC said that in “very unwelcome news for drivers” the average pump price had reached 160p a litre, reversing the drop down to 151p in early July that followed the announcement of a fragile Middle East ceasefire.That is the highest level since November 2022, when prices were soaring in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Andy Burnham said the government had offered help to Spain tackling a surge of migrants crossing from Morocco into its Ceuta enclave.The crisis was “a matter for the Spanish government first and foremost, but it is a cause for concern,” Burnham told reporters.“And we are making contact with the Spanish government, the Spanish authorities, to provide support but also to understand the implications of that situation.”Burnham calls on Fifa president to resign over World Cup sell-off plansJosh Halliday“My view is strengthening – this was an outrageous suggestion. The idea that it could even be brought forward, in my view, shows that the Fifa general secretary is the wrong man to lead the organisation.”When told the Fifa president was sticking to its plans despite a furious backlash from Uefa and other membership bodies, Burnham said: “Oh wow. Have they actually done that? Oh wow.”Andy Burnham speaks during a visit to a family centre in Sheffield on 31 July 2026. Photograph: Annabel Lee-Ellis/WPA Pool/Getty ImagesMayors given fast-track route to build new trams and transport links, transport secretary saysThe transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has said mayors will be given a fast-track route to build new tramways, roads and light rail in their local areas.Large transport projects put forward by local leaders need to have Department for Transport approval before they are built.The cost threshold at which mayors need to seek approval was set at £200m – but Alexander says this will increase to £500m, which will mean mayors can bypass the queue for Whitehall approval on their projects if they cost less than half a billion pounds. These could include tram schemes, metro extensions and station upgrades.“Today we’re giving local leaders more power to shape transport in their community,” the transport secretary wrote in a post on X.“Locally funded transport schemes up to £500m no longer need Whitehall approval, meaning fewer projects get bogged down by bureaucracy, and you get the services that make your life easier.”The new threshold was announced as Andy Burnham unveiled plans to let mayors use a share of the income tax and business rates raised in their areas as part of his devolution push (see opening post for more details).As we reported in an earlier post, the long-serving Labour MP Diane Abbott has been let back into the party after she was suspended last July after repeating comments about racism for which she had previously apologised.In a statement posted to X late last night, the MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington said: “Today, following a process conducted in line with party rules and approved by the independent review process I have been readmitted to the Labour party.“I have been issued with a formal warning for a tweet I previously posted. By inadvertently referring to the Israeli Defence Force as the ‘Jewish Defence Force’, I used wording that conflates the actions of the state of Israel with the Jewish community. I am deeply sorry for any hurt caused by that conflation and apologise for any hurt caused by it.”Abbott was first stripped of the Labour whip in April 2023 after writing a letter to the Observer in which she argued that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experienced prejudice rather than racism. As my colleague notes in this story, she apologised and withdrew the remarks, saying an earlier draft had mistakenly been submitted for publication.She was readmitted to Labour before the 2024 general election but in a BBC interview last year she defended her original remarks. Seperately, in July 2025, Abbott, 72, referred to the Israel Defense Forces as the “Jewish Defence Force” in a social media post she published. She was given her second suspension last summer, which meant she was forced to sit as an independent MP instead of a Labour one.The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the largest body representing British Jews, reacted to Abbott’s readmission to Labour in a statement posted on social media.“This is an early test of resolve for the Burnham administration,” the group’s president, Phil Rosenberg, said. “It is hard to conceive of the whip being restored unless there is clear and sustained evidence of genuine remorse”, he said, adding that an “unequivocal recognition that antisemitism is racism” is also needed.Chinese super embassy planning permission decision upheld at High CourtThe construction of a new Chinese “super-embassy” in London, which is set to be built near the Tower of London, can go ahead after a high court challenge against the decision to grant planning permission was dismissed, PA Media is reporting.The Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association (RMCRA) brought legal action against the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.It said the presence of the embassy could lead to terrorist attacks or the repression of protests, while being used to enforce “draconian” Chinese laws in the UK and to target dissidents.People gather outside the Royal Mint Court site in January to protest against the planned embassy. Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Zuma Press Wire/ShutterstockThe association, which represents families and businesses in about 100 properties, also said diplomatic immunity could make it hard for UK authorities to enforce fire safety rules if the Chinese government ignored them.The government and the council defended the claim, saying they “conscientiously and carefully had regard” to the residents’ concerns. Following a hearing at the high court earlier this month, two judges dismissed RMCRA’s challenge.The SNP has called for “decisive action” from Andy Burnham after BP announced it was selling its North Sea operations.Reacting to the news, SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan said: